Work handling apparatus



Sept. 29, 1936. c. c. COPENHAVER 2,055,682

WORK HANDLING APPARATUS Filed April 30, 1934 J I N V EN TOR. ;J G'LAYTU/V Cf COPE/V/MVE A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WORK HANDLING APPARATUS poration of Delaware Application April 30, 1934, Serial No. 723,141

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in work handling apparatus for receiving and discharging articles passing through a working machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a structure which will operate in conjunction with a working machine, such as a grinder, in maintaining the work acted upon in alignment during the Working operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide in such a structure a work receiving part which is so constructed and arranged that the work received will cause the receiving part to be tilted to discharge the Work upon a rack after the work is entirely free of the grinder.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a receiving support having one end connected with a movable part of the machine acting upon the work and the other end thereof mounted upon a movable support for maintaining the work in proper position with the grinder.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a work receiving and discharging structure having a predetermined position which will move from that position only when the work acted upon has been discharged from the working machine upon said receiving and discharging structure and which will return to the predetermined position after discharge of the work; to provide yieldable means for retaining said structure against rotation in one direction when the work is partially supported by said structure and which will permit rotation of said structure when said work is wholly supported thereby and which will return the structure to its predetermined position following discharge of the Work, and to provide adjustable means for preventing rotation of said structure in the opposite direction responsive to the force of said yieldable means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the support assembled in conjunction with a grinding machine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the adjusting means and supporting legs at one end of the main support.

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of one of the blocks for receiving the work after it has been dis-- charged from the main support.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 'l-l of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown a ma- 5 chine in having grinding wheels l2 and an adjustable extension id for receiving the work to be acted upon, here illustrated in the form of a cylindrical rod I! having a length materially greater than its diameter. The extension [4 has 10 secured thereto a substantially rectangularly shaped member IS, the lower side of which has depending flanges provided with aligned apertures. A section of the extension I4 is received between the flanges 26 and held in fixed position 5 therewith by bolts 22. Within the member I8 is a non-metallic block 24 having a groove 26 for receiving the rod I! as it passes through the grinder. A longitudinally extending bar 28 has one end mounted upon the member [8 by angle 20 irons 30 secured on opposite sides thereof by welding or other suitable means. The longitudinally extending flanges of the angle irons 30 are secured to the upper side of the member l8 by rivets 32 or the like. The other end of the bar 28 is movably mounted upon a support comprising uprights 34 and upper and lower cross members 36 and 38, respectively. The upper member 36 has a runway formed by spaced parallel members 40 between which rollers 42 are received. The rollers 42 are journaled between oppositely disposed anglemembers 44 secured to the lower surface of the angle irons 30. By the provision of the above structure the bar 28 may be moved horizontally of the grinder for maintaining the structure in alignment with the work as it passes through the machine and into the receiving and supporting structure.

As the rod I'I passes through the machine It] and the member l8 it is received in a longitudinally disposed supporting and receiving structure generally designated at A suspended from the bar 28 at three points. Inasmuch as the suspension at each point is the same, only one is illustrated and described in detail.

The suspension is obtained by angle irons 30 positioned on opposite sides of the bar 28 and welded or otherwise suitably fixed thereto. A spacing member 46 is secured to the lower surface of the longitudinally extending flanges 48 of .5 the angle irons 30, and a bracket 50 is secured to the under surface of the spacing member 46. The bracket 59 receives a bearing 52 in which is journaled a longitudinally disposed tube 54 extending the entire length of the structure A.

structure is moved bodily with the bar 28 for" maintaining alignment between the workand the handling apparatus during the machining operation. Inasmuch as the rollers are'similar in allrespects, only one is here illustrated and described.

A block 56' having a cylindrical opening and asplit side is positioned on the tube 54. Secured to the block 56 by means of a bolt 51 extending through the apertures of the split side isa roller 58' having a peripheral groove 59 in which is received the rod IT. The bolt 51 is journaled in a suitable bearing element 66 carried by the roller 58'. By'threading the bolt through the apertures of the split side of the block the fric-' tional' engagement'between the tube 54 and block 56'. is sufiicient to'non-rotatably fix the block relative to' the tube. Adjustment of the position of the block relative to the tube maybe made by varying the frictional engagement between the members.- The block 56' has threaded therein a bolt16I in non-perpendicular relation to the axis of the tube 54. The bolt 6| has rotatably mounted thereon a roller 52 which guides the rod l'l during. its" movement into the groove 59 of the roller 58". The contact of the rod I1 with the rollers is .such that when the tilting action occurs the rod is discharged from the peripheral groove 59* upon a receiving structure B, hereinafter described. As before referredto, the rod I! is discharged from the rollers vby.-a tiltingactionof the structure A,,the tube 54 rotating in its bearings 52 during suchaction. The tilting action is produced through a structure connected to the longitudinally disposed bar 28 through the flanges 48 of the angle irons 30, and comprises a bracket 63ifixedto the under side of one of the flanges 48: by.rivets'64 or the like. The bracket 63 has aidiagonally extending apertured portion 63 in which is received a rod 65 having a screw threaded end which receives nuts 66 .on either side of the portion 63'. The opposite end of the rod 65 is bent at right angles to the main portion and isprovided with an apertured end 66' in which is receivedone end of a coil spring 61. The opposite end of the spring 6'! is received in an apertured end of a rod 68, positioned in substantially parallel relation with the rod 65. The opposite end .of the rod 68 is bent to form a hook 69 which fits over a belt or rod 10 carried by a block ll fixed on the tube 54. The initial tension of the spring 61 may be predetermined by movement of the nuts 66 on the rod 65 to vary the length of the portion of the latter extending below the bracket 63, as viewed in-Fig. '7. The block H has an openingfor the tube 54 and split apertured sides which are drawn together by a bolt H to fix the block against rotation relative to the tube.

One-of the flanges 48 and the bracket 63have registering threaded apertures in which a bolt 12 is-received, one end of which is adapted to bear against the upper side of the block ll; The bolt 12 has nuts 13 and 13 in'tlireaded engagement therewith, the nut 13 abutting the upper surface of the apertured flange 48 and the nut '53 hearing against the nut 13 and acting as a locking means. Threading of the bolt 12 through the apertures results in the block H and tube 54 being rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. '7, thereby placing the spring 6? under increased tension. In initially positioning the structure A the tension of the spring 61 is such that when the rod' W is entirely supported by the structure A the weight thereof will cause the structure to tilt against the resistance of the spring GT and discharge the rod, after which the structure is returned to its initial position through action ofthe spring 61. The structure will be prevented during the return movement from rotating beyond the initially determined position by contact-of the-block H with the bolt 12. Thus the bolt '52 constitutes an adjustable stop which will, in addition to the above, prevent rotation of i the tube and block in a clockwise direction by thetensional force of the spring 61.

A receiving structure B is positioned below the structure A to receive the work in its final form after discharge from the structure A, and comprises a pair of upper and a pair of lower longitudinally disposed members 74, and uprights having inwardly inclined legs 16 with upper and lower cross members 18 and 80, respectively. The members M are secured to'the legs 16 by welding or other suitable means. Non-metallic blocks 82, having an inclined upper surface and an abutment at one end thereof, rest upon the upper pair of members 14 at determined locations.

In operation, that part of the work II that has passed through the grinding machine 19 is supported by the structure generally designated at A, being received in the groove 59 of each of the rollers 58 carried by the longitudinally extending rod 54. The latter is rotatably supported in the bushings 52 which are in turn supported by the bracket 56. In Fig. 3 the rollers 58 are shown in a predetermined position for receiving that portion of the rod that has passed through the grinder. Rotation of the rod 54, together with the structure carried thereby including the rollers 58', in one direction from its predetermined position is prevented by the springs 61 spaced longitudinally of the structure A, and rotation in the other direction is prevented by contact of the upper surface of the block H with the extremity of the bolt 72. When the work I I has passed from the grinder Ill and is wholly supported by the rollers 58' the weight of the work is sufficient to overcome the tensional resistance of the springs 61, causing the rod 54 and the rollers 58 to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction sufiiciently to permit the work to drop from the groove 59 of the rollers onto the structure generally designated at B. Immediately upon discharge of the work the rod 54 is returned to its predetermined position by the action of the springs El. The tension of the springs 61 is such that the rod 54 can be rotated from its predetermined position in one direction only when the work is wholly supported by the rollers 58".

It will be understood that various changes, including the size, shape and arrangements of parts, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and it is not my intention to limit its scope other than by the terms of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a working machine, a work handling apparatus having upper and lower supports, one end portion of the upper support mounted upon the working machine and the other end thereof movably mounted upon an upright; a work receiving structure positioned between and carried by one of said supports and tiltable relative thereto comprising a longitudinally disposed member having spaced rollers provided with a peripheral groove for receiving the work acted upon; and yieldable means connected to said work receiving structure whereby the same is tilted from its normal position by force of gravity of the work and returned to its normal position after discharge of said work.

2. In combination, a working machine, a work handling and supporting apparatus adapted to receive a piece of work from said machine and including a support having one end thereof mounted for movement in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the work, a work receiving structure rotatably mounted on said support and comprising a work receiving member rotatably mounted on said structure, a rod carried by said main support, and means including a resilient member, having an end secured to said rod and rotatable member respectively yieldably retaining said structure in a predetermined position against rotation in one direction, said structure being rotatable against the action of said means to a discharge position under the influence of the piece of work when the latter is independently supported thereby.

3. In combination, a working machine, a work handling and supporting apparatus adapted to receive a piece of work from said machine and including a main support having one end supported by said machine and the other end thereof supported for movement in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the work, a work receiving structure rotatably supported by said main support and comprising a work receiving member rotatably mounted on said structure, a rod carried by said main support, the axis of rotation of said member being transverse to the axis of rotation of said structure, and means including a resilient member having an end secured to said rod and rotatable member respectively yieldably retaining said structure in a predetermined position against rotation in one direction, said rod being adjustable relative to said main support for predetermining the initial tension on said resilient member, said structure being rotatable against the action of said means to a discharge position under the influence of the piece of work when the latter is independently supported thereby.

CLAYTON C. COPENHAVER. 

